Learning Continuum of Literacy (Version 8.4)

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Word Knowledge

This element involves students understanding the increasingly specialised vocabulary and spelling needed to compose and comprehend learning area texts.

Students develop strategies and skills for acquiring a wide topic vocabulary in the learning areas and the capacity to spell the relevant words accurately. In developing and acting with literacy, students:

  • understand learning area vocabulary
  • use spelling knowledge.

Level 3

Typically by the end of Year 4, students:

Use spelling knowledge

spell topic words, more complex irregular words, regular words and word families containing known letters and letter clusters, and use strategies for attempting unknown words

Understand learning area vocabulary

use growing subject-specific vocabulary to read, discuss and write about learning area topics

Level 4

Typically by the end of Year 6, students:

Use spelling knowledge

spell topic words and use word origins, base words, prefixes and suffixes when spelling new words

Understand learning area vocabulary

use vocabulary, including subject-specific vocabulary from a range of learning areas and vocabulary that expresses shades of meaning

Level 5

Typically by the end of Year 8, students:

Use spelling knowledge

spell specialist topic words and use knowledge of word origins, base words, prefixes and suffixes and unusual letter combinations to spell correctly

Understand learning area vocabulary

use a wide range of new specialist and topic vocabulary to contribute to the specificity, authority and abstraction of texts